Any time a major water line loses pressure, there is the possibility that contaminates may seep into the system, so the city issued a boil advisory as a precaution.

After it restored the water, Opelousas planned to send samples for testing by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals’ Office of Public Health to confirm the water is safe to drink. Unfortunately, that usually takes about three days.

That’s why people in the affected area need to disinfect their water before they consume it for any purpose. That includes not just drinking the water but also using it to make ice, brushing their teeth, and using it for food preparation or rinsing.

The boil advisory also raised concerns for parents and grandparents in the affected area.

“I’m worried about the kids’ safety,” Anderson said, “because it can make someone sick, and I have several children that will be here.”

She wondered why the city waited until a few hours before the shutoff and boil advisory to notify people nearby.

“What about the people that can’t read or don’t get newspapers?” Anderson wondered. “How will they know about a boil advisory?”

People who work in the area expressed similar worries.

Todd Quebedeaux, shift manager at a Checkers restaurant near East Landry Street, said he had no idea that any boil advisory had been issued.

“This is the first time this has happened as far as I know,” said Quebedeux. Because of that, he contacted the district manager for Checkers, Deborah Vogt.

Vogt said over the phone that no one told her anything about the advisory. She wondered how the hamburger stand would serve beverages because its soda fountain uses water.

Some people in the area admitted they don’t know what to do when the city issues a boil advisory.

The best way to disinfect the water is to boil it for one full minute. The flat taste can be eliminated by shaking the water in a clean bottle, pouring it from one container to another or by adding a pinch of salt to each quart of water that is boiled.